Each day we provide a roundup of five stories from around the Web that our editors read and found noteworthy. Follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day @digiday.
The Creative Technologist Fad: The ad agency world is in a painful transition to a world of digital media. That’s led to an influx of new roles in hierarchies that were pretty established for decades. One of those new roles is the elusive “creative technologist.” It was started with good intentions: to bridge the gap between the ideas people and the execution needed in digital. Tech folks have historically had a tough time within agency cultures. But the term “creative technologist” also became watered down, according to Wieden + Kennedy’s Igor Clark, himself a creative technologist. There are too many charlatans out there using the title for his taste — and it does a disservice to the real coders that agencies need. Wieden + Kennedy blog — Brian Morrissey @bmorrissey
Clutter? What Clutter?: Apparently no one, and especially not Wall Street, is listening to the naysayers, occupiers, or the press and people who say that too much easy money is being tossed at cash-ravenous tech companies. TriplePoint Capital, a company that funds big-name tech and social companies like Facebook, YouTube, and AppNexus just raised $1 billion in an economy so bad the government is shutting down post offices. Despite the fact that many startups aren’t making money for their investors, TriplePoint’s roster of funded companies is a stable of champion fillies. If your startup gets funded by TriplePoint, you’ll get to hawk your tech wares in a reception area that might have a Mark Zuckerberg or Brian O’Kelley skateboarding by. TriplePoint has enough blue-chip companies in its roster that it doesn’t need to do much more. But are there really that many worthy investments left out there? The ad tech and social media industries might be the only corner of the economy, perhaps in the world, where it isn’t a case of “it’s the economy, stupid.” That is, if you are a TriplePoint-funded company. MarketWatch — Carla Rover @carlarover
The Death of Deep-Packet Inspection: Having failed to gain traction with its controversial deep-packet inspection ad targeting technology, Phorm has raised yet another round of funding as it continues its elusive search for customers. After trials and talks with ISPs in the U.K. and the U.S. were nixed because of privacy concerns, the firm tried its luck first in Korea and then in Brazil. Despite one deployment with a Brazilian ISP, the company has yet to generate any revenue after five years in the market, though, perhaps signaling the death of ISP-level ad targeting altogether. PaidContent — Jack Marshall @JackMarshall
Tech’s Girl Shortage: There is a saying in China: Women hold up half the sky. Although it’s not part of the Chinese proverb, a woman working in the tech industry could certainly be forgiven for adding, “except if you happen to be standing in Silicon Valley.” In an interview, Marissa Mayer, a senior Google exec and one of the most powerful women in the tech industry, talks about why it’s important to recruit women into this world. Hint: it’s not just to satisfy affirmative action benchmarks. HuffPo — Anne Sherber
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4A’s Marla Kaplowitz on 3 ways agencies can navigate the uncertain economy
The industry trade group is helping many agency members prepare their business for broader economic changes, from how to retain talent to honing their financial acumen.
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How sportsbooks and publishers are rethinking the terms of content-based sponsorships
The economic slowdown is causing sportsbooks and publishers alike to reconsider their approaches to content-based customer acquisition campaigns.
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A year after coming under Axel Springer’s control, Politico’s Europe and North American businesses are closer than ever
Politico is still realizing what a global brand might look like, but Politico EU's CRO Nicolas Sennegon is already pursuing an advertising business that extends across the pond.
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SponsoredHow FAST channels are redefining primetime opportunities for advertisers
Sponsored by Vevo With the competition from content providers continuing to build, the traditional primetime TV slots are no longer guaranteeing the mass audiences they once did. Television viewership is evolving, and the primetime window of 8–11 p.m. is less broadly reflective of younger audiences’ content consumption habits. In 2022, attracting TV viewers is a […]
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How publishers can prevent cyberattacks after Fast Company’s hack
Tech executives shared what publishers can do to prevent getting hacked and avoid cybersecurity breaches.
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Media employees face no consequences for ignoring return-to-office requests — yet
Employees and union members at a number of media companies had not heard of anyone facing disciplinary actions for continuing to work from home.
